Clopin's Firghtening Day
by OrcaMaya
Summary: Clopin story


Clopin was skipping happily through fields of dandelions and daisies. Orca watched as he twirled and laughed and loved him more than ever. He was like watching a small boy at times, and at others he was quite serious. This happened to be one of the more adorable times so Orca hid herself in the weeds and waited for him to come closer. He giggled and sang as he picked the little flowers and put them in a basket. He got nearer and nearer until he was right beside Orca. It was a very hot day, so he sighed happily and tossed his tunic aside to cool off. He turned toward the forest and Orca pounced on him like a lioness. Clopin laughed so hard he coughed a bit and Orca helped him up.

"What are you up to today, my little one?" Orca asked. Clopin giggled and rubbed noses with her. "Oh, not much today. I am just so happy. I just want to skip and dance all day long," Clopin answered. Orca nodded her beautiful red head. "Oh, I see. I suppose there is some reason for all this glee. Come on now, tell me why you are so silly and happy," Orca said in her sweet, unthreatening voice. "I don't know, mama. I am just happy today. Here, I picked these for you," Clopin said with a huge smile spreading across his face. Orca chuckled as she took a bouquet of half wilted dandelions from Clopin. She kissed his cheek and his nose and took him by the hand. "Come on, darling. Let's go to the market," Orca told him. Clopin skipped alongside her and before long they reached the market.

The market was far more crowded than usual and hoards of crooked looking people were skulking about. Clopin wandered to a stand to admire the wares as Orca watched with an expression of motherly concern. It seemed that every minute more of these odd people showed up from out of nowhere. She walked up to Clopin who was totally oblivious to the danger and took his beautiful, gloved hand in hers. He looked at her with perplexity as he beheld that look of fear upon her face. He thought Orca was not afraid of anything. He put his hand on her shoulder and she placed her free hand on his back.

"Come on, honey, it doesn't look very safe today. I think we should just go home," Orca explained. Clopin nodded, his smile had faded. They walked to a dark alley, the only other way to get to the Court of Miracles. Orca kept her eyes sharp in hopes of catching sneak thieves before they struck. She looked over at Clopin and tried her best to smile even though she was terrified. Clopin smiled sweetly to cheer her up, which worked as it always did. He was so sweet that everything seemed brighter when he was around.

Suddenly, ten men jumped out from behind wooden crates and surrounded them. Clopin grabbed onto Orca for protection and she grabbed her knife. He took out his knife as well and pointed it at the men who only laughed at him. They closed in around them and grabbed up Clopin. Orca screamed and held her arms out as her Clopin was passed through the men. He tried his best to fight them off but they were so much larger than he. Orca fought five of them but they were strong and beat her senseless. Clopin slashed his knife at the attackers but even when he cut them they did not cease. They beat him in the face and he fell to the ground. He got back up and hit back, knocking over one of the men.

The hit man had made an opening and Clopin ran through it to escape. He ran as tears poured down his face but he did not even escape the alley before the men grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him back. He screamed and sobbed as they passed him around like a rag doll. It looked as though he would meet his doom. Clopin closed his eyes, hoping this was all a dream that he would awaken from. Any moment now his eyes would open and Orca would be standing over him with a snack of some sort. No, it was not a dream. This was real. When the men finished torturing him he bent against one of the buildings. His tunic was gone; scratches and bruises covered his chest and belly. His tights were torn, and his spindly legs were bared to view. Then men came up for another go but Clopin turned to his only means of comfort.

"Shh, shh, it's going to be alright. It will all be over soon."

"But I'm scared. Please don't let them do it again. Please."

"Hey, it's alright, buddy. You're going to be alright."

"I want Orca. I want my mama!"

"Aww, don't cry, Clopin. It's alright. Don't cry."

The men backed away as they saw a full conversation occurring between Clopin and his puppet. They assumed he must be possessed and ran for their lives. Clopin eventually calmed down, with the help of his puppet, and passed out on the ground. He was such a pitiful sight to see. He looked like a beggar who had fallen down on his luck. His beautiful black hair tangled and sweaty. His face dirty, his chest bruised and battered, but he had survived. Nothing could destroy Clopin Trouillefou.

Orca opened her eyes as she heard a piteous sniffle accompanied by a whimper. She looked up to see her darling Clopin in his appalling state and ran to him. He held his arms out and cried at the top of his lungs, "MAMA!" She held him for what seemed like hours as he bawled like an infant in her arms. She rubbed up and down his back and cooed to him as he cried. She picked him up in her arms and carried him to the Court of Miracles where she cleaned his wounds and dressed him in clean tights. She set him in a bed which she had fixed with a rocker. She rocked him back and forth and brushed her fingers through his hair. He stared at her and trembled a bit. He did not know how to react to the events of the day.

"You were such a very brave boy today. You were my angel. Those men knocked me out almost immediately but you stood there and fought them and you won. I am so proud of you," Orca said with a smile. Clopin held her hand and pulled her down to his level. "Thank you for always being there for me, mama. Especially today when I needed you the most," Clopin whispered. Orca smiled and kissed his lips. "Baby, I love you. I am always going to be here with you. There is nothing that anyone could do to make me stop loving you. There is nowhere you could go that I would not find you. There is nothing you could say to make me stop wanting you. You're my son, darling. I will love you long after the end of the world," Orca replied. Clopin smiled and giggled a bit. Orca tickled his belly a little and looked down at him. "Do you know what my favorite part of you is, Clopin?" Orca asked. Clopin shook his head. "It's this," Orca said, touching the middle of his chest. "It's that great big heart," she told him.

"I love you, Orca."

"I love you, Clopin."

"I'm not scared anymore."

"And you never will be again."


End file.
